When you're looking to amuse children for a holiday party, it can sometimes be nerve-wracking to figure out exactly what you're going to do. Without going for expensive and possibly unhelpful strategies, you can easily capture the interest and attention of the children at a holiday party with a fun, engaging party game.
The nice thing about Christmas party games is that they don't have to be complicated - and you often don't even have to provide many materials other than pen, paper, and perhaps some candy! Older children can even monitor these games, making a Christmas party game session for children that much more independent and enjoyable for all.
If you're wondering which games might produce this effect in the children at your party, wonder no more. We've done the heavy lifting for you and determined the eight most popular Christmas party games this year! The children at your Christmas party will have so much fun, they'll be talking about it at least until your next Christmas party.
Gift Stacking (Don't Let Them Tumble!): This one's a simple one - but you may wish to make sure that the children don't use anything fragile! Using the wrapped Christmas gifts around the tree, the children will find ways to stack them as high as possible - much like a game of Jenga or building blocks. The team that can make the highest stack of presents wins!
Guess What's In the Stocking: Take a long, thin sock or Christmas stocking and fill it with differently-shaped objects. Then, blindfold one of the children, and give them the stocking. Ask them to feel the stocking carefully, and then make a guess as to what's inside. The more things the child guesses right, the more points they get!
Hide (And Find!) the Candy Cane: Give a traditional game of hide and seek a holiday spin. Have someone (perhaps an older child) hide several candy canes around your home. Then, simply give the children license to go wherever they need to go in order to find all of the candy canes! Pro tip: Make sure that the person hiding the candy canes keeps a list of where they're all hidden; otherwise, you might find yourself finding errant candy canes all throughout your next year.
Who's The Best Snow Blower? If you live in an area with dense snow, you might already be familiar with mechanical snowblowers to clear off various properties. Use the same idea for a fun party game: Give your children a bag of cotton balls and a few straws. Mark off a 'start' and 'finish' line on the floor or on a table, put a small pile of cotton balls in front of the start line, and give two children one straw each. Tell them to blow through the straws at the cotton balls to get their cotton balls over the finish line before their opponent does!
Christmas Musical Chairs: Put enough chairs for every child playing the game into a circle in the middle of a room - and then remove one. Then, start playing cheery Christmas music, and ask the children to move around the chairs. Abruptly stop the music - and ask the children to each claim a chair. There will be one child left out; he has to sit out until the next round! Remove another chair, start the music again, and repeat the process until a winner is named.
Santa Says: If you've ever played the game 'Simon Says' before, you'll have a good idea to play this game - although this one comes with a naughty-or-nice twist! Ask the children to line up. Have an adult or an older child lead the group in a series of silly actions, prefacing each command with the phrase 'Santa Says'. After a while, the leader should subtly leave out that command phrase, and just tell the group what to do. The players who don't notice that the magic words were left out lose the game - and now, choose from among them to be the next Santa!
Snowball Relay Race: Similar to the snow blowing game above, this race centers on getting enough cotton balls from one side of a table or floor to another - but this time, children will work in teams using spoons. Getting a cotton ball across the finish line will depend upon a lot of teamwork and coordination, but the team that can get it done will definitely feel victorious!
Christmas Charades: Start by writing down the lyrics to a bunch of Christmas carols on little pieces of paper, and put those pieces of paper into a Christmas or Santa hat. Ask one child to come up and select one piece of paper from the hat. Once they've read it and realize what their assigned Christmas carol is, ask them to silently act it out in front of the rest of the children! The first person to correctly guess the Christmas carol wins.
And there you have it! These are the games that your children will love playing at Christmas parties this year. Get ready for sparkling holiday fun!
Eliza Bush
Eliza is a creative interior designer who swears by the power of sleek interiors and quality furniture to transform daily personal and professional life. With a B.Sc. in interior design from Philadelphia University and a well trained eye for craftsmanship, she offers unparalleled advice on how to arrange your space to make it sophisticated, comfortable, and functional, whether it’s the office or bedroom.
